The Silver Bullet

When I was a middle school teacher my principal had the
habit of leaving handwritten notes in teachers’ mailboxes when we had done
something worthy of praise.The
notes were always short and specific:“Great job on the spelling bee” or “I appreciate the work you did on the
curriculum committee.”I always
kept my notes in my desk drawer, but some of my colleagues taped
them to filing cabinets or tacked them on bulletin boards near their desks.Everyone, even the burn-outs,
appreciated his notes, and he went out of his way to find positive things to
say about all of us.It made us
feel that he was paying attention to the small things we tried to do to improve
kids’ lives. Leaving those notes enhanced his image as a leader who had a
vision of what the school should look like. It was like the Lone Ranger leaving behind a silver
bullet.

I remembered the warm feeling those notes gave me when I
became a principal myself.I
always carried a notepad with me when I did walk-throughs so I would remember
some small detail of a classroom visit for a follow-up note.And I noticed that some teachers still
taped them to file cabinets near their desks.

Verbal praise is always appreciated, but written praise is
more powerful.Of course, the
converse is true:Verbal criticism
is painful, but written criticism can be even more so.Another principal I knew also left
written notes in teachers’ mailboxes.He would fold them in half so they
looked like little tents.“Oh, no,” teachers would say to one another.“I’ve been tented.”His notes tended to say things like, “Remember to keep all the shades in
your room even” or “Students should remain in their seats until the bell has
rung.”I never saw any of those
notes taped to file cabinets.

Written classroom observations are further proof of the
power of the written word.Despite
a generally positive review of a lesson, teachers will dwell on the one line of
criticism or suggestion for improvement.I know; I did this myself.Even when I was a principal, while my annual review from the
Central Office was 98% positive, I’d focus on the 2% and agonize over what I
needed to do to improve.Knowing
this reaction to criticism, as a principal I always met with the teacher first
and talked about what I had seen in the classroom before writing anything
down.Teachers could be assured
that nothing would appear in the written document that wasn’t talked about in
the post-observation conference.

I know we’re busy, but a quick, positive, specific one-line
note can make a person’s day.